Golf Swing Warm-Up | Limber Up For An Easy Stroke

by Aidan Sugrue 

Have you ever enjoyed those magic days where your body is in top form? Nothing hurts. You move, you swing and you putt like a well oiled machine. Yes! It's magic! And then there's the struggle days when the machinery grinds and groans like a rusty old tractor. Well, the good news is that you can look forward to a lot more of those magic days by adopting a few easy warm-up routines before tee-off. Warming up will be your super lubricant for the perfect game.

Warm-Up before You Tee Off - Your golf swing is directly related to your physical condition and the state of preparedness of your body. Given the sedentary lifestyles of many amateur golfers it is crucial to warm-up and stretch prior to tee off. A little dynamic exercise including forward and backward shoulder rotations, upper body twists and arm circles go a long way in imbuing your stroke with looseness and fluidity. Knee rotations are a great for loosening up the legs and ankles. Take a few minutes before tee-off to enjoy some of these simple exercises. You'll warm up the proper muscles and joints essential for your golf. What's more, you'll enjoy the pleasure of much more ease, relaxation and looseness in your game.

Shoulder Rolls - Stand in a relaxed upright position with your arms by your sides, lift your shoulders as high as you can towards your ears as you inhale. Hold briefly in the up position and then move them down and backwards in a circle. You'll feel the pull in your deltoids at the bottom of your circle. Repeat 10 times. Reverse and repeat 10 times in the forward direction.

Upper Body Twists - You can use one of your clubs as a prop in this one. Again from a relaxed standing position with knees slightly bent, hold the club with one end in each hand. Raise your arms above and behind your head and bring the club shaft to rest on the fleshy part of your shoulders just below the base of your neck. Maintain your arm position with respect to your chest and keep your gaze fixed in the forward direction. Slowly turn your torso until you feel a nice twist in your trunk muscles. You'll notice it in your abs, and your oblique muscles. Hold for 1 second, release and rotate back through center and continue onwards to the right-hand side. Hold for another second and reverse. Repeat 10 times or as desired.

Arm Circles - Stand in an upright posture with knees slightly bent and your arms relaxed and initially by your sides. To execute backward circles, swing your right-arm clockwise and your left arm counter-clockwise. Your hands may overlap and at the top of your circle. Let you arms to brush your ears in the swing past your head. Allow your hands to brush the outsides of your legs at the bottom of your swing arc. Release any tension from your arms and hands and simply allow them to be loose and floppy through the exercise. Repeat 20 times in the backwards direction and reverse to the forward direction for an additional 20 repetitions. To really challenge yourself try swing both arms in the same rotational direction and see what happens e.g. try swinging both arms counter-clockwise and watch your brain have a hissy-fit.

Knee Rotations - Stand with feet together and knees slightly bent. Place your hands on your knees and rotate clockwise for 20 reps. Repeat in the counterclockwise direction.

The 5 Minute Difference - 5 minutes is all it takes to run through these simple warm-up exercises. You'll find they'll become pure pleasure and you'll enjoy the building sense of anticipation of a great game as you run through your routine. What's more, you'll enjoy much more ease, fluidity and consistency in your movement. Here's to shooting your lowest scoring, most comfortable rounds ever!